Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a massive rise in people seeking help for mental health issues and the NHS has responded by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made the commitment to increase the amount of money spent on mental health services more quickly than the NHS budget overall. This will include the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.
Helping yourself
One out of four of us will experience a mental health problem at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are many ways to get assistance, and the majority of us will improve over time. But it's important to know what assistance is available, and who can provide it.
You can seek help from a variety of sources like your doctor (primary medical doctor for primary care), your local health centre, or a community mental health team. These teams are made up of nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with the people who utilize the service. Depending on the type of help you require you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to fill out a form by your GP so they can refer you to a mental health professional in the community. They will also ask what you require in terms of support. You will then be examined by someone from a mental health team that could include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some instances, a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in crisis. If you're already supported by mental health services, it's a good idea try and contact your usual team first unless it's out of the normal hours, a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more place-based, multidisciplinary community mental health teams with links to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care that is given to those suffering from an illness of mental health and offer support in their homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making crisis services accessible by reducing wait times and allowing more beds. It would also include a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are equipped with an individual who is a mental liaison nurse in the control room to improve how people experiencing a mental crisis are assisted in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a wide array of treatment options for mental health conditions. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs however more serious conditions require specialists. These teams operate in primary and community healthcare facilities, as well psychiatric hospital. You can also seek assistance in a secure space should you be in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most popular forms of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their number of referrals increase every year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these programs to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
The use of psychiatric medication is also a crucial element of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also be used to lessen the negative effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the best medication for you.
A wide range of talking therapy options are available which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, but others can be done remotely. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but that is a personal decision. There are also a number of charities that provide classes and support groups, such as Mind. Their website is full of information that is reliable, however you must be aware of the fact that there's lots of misleading or false information on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is improving the mental health system, but it is struggling to meet the demands. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. They receive the majority of funding for their services from clinical commissioning group. They typically are located in a particular region however, they may be commissioned to provide national services.
The shortage of resources is a major issue. There are concerns about the quality and shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new methods of work and providing more training. It also offers safer and more effective ways to help people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and secure space.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago, there are positive changes for those suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have gotten better and social barriers have been taken down. However, there is still much to be done.
People who are experiencing mental illness need to get the help they need quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is striving to improve services for people who require them. By 2020/21 we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental-health liaison service, both in A&E as well as on wards for patients, and that 70% will be in compliance with the core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards 100 percent coverage.
We will also expand services for people who need them in the community, which includes talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands more people suffering from severe or common mental health issues the help they need. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT), so that more people with mental health issues are seen faster by qualified therapists.
The NHS provides confidential, free assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run by volunteers who provide the opportunity to talk in a secure environment or offer advice and guidance on how to manage your mental health issues.
There are also local organizations that can offer assistance and support to those with mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping techniques and other activities are all possible. Many of these organisations offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students feeling down or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service that provides confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, or details on other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a great source of information. They can offer support in many forms that include online and through local groups. They can provide a variety of activities and courses ranging including mindfulness classes to art classes that are useful for people with mental health issues.
Making a referral
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs have to make difficult choices about which specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into consideration and then recommend them to a service they believe could be able to assist. They may refer a patient to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will then assess the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral they will call the GP to discuss their decision and provide the reason. They can also request the GP to provide more information or to modify the referral.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. the original source permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer people to either a mental health clinical assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system cannot be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A GP may also refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are typically operated by a large local health organization or a hospital. CMTs can be a good option for people who wish to consult a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist but don't need inpatient treatment. They also provide an early intervention service where psychiatrists work with a therapy therapist to assist someone in overcoming any crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs have the responsibility of making sure that all referrals are made within a reasonable amount of time. Many referrals are deemed urgent even though they may not be. This can cause patients who aren't in crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To address this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was accomplished by using a standardised form which asks the referrer if they believe the situation is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer has to check if the request is urgent.